Introduction
The Mental Healthcare Act (MHCA) 2017 is a game changer in India when it comes to mental health and seeks to protect the rights of PwMI. One of the major provisions of this law is the creation of the Mental Health Review Board (MHRB), an ADR institution whose role is to safeguard the interest of PwMI and coordinate or monitor certain functions related to the treatment of the mentioned persons. Nevertheless, the practical application of the MHRB has proven to have some problems, although its purpose is rather laudable.
What is the Mental Health Review Board?
The MHRB is an independent body whose responsibility it is to protect rights of PwMI and ensure that these rights are observed. Some of its roles are as follows: Scrutiny of PwMI, Handling of Supported Admission, Supervision of Mental Health Facilities and acting as a forum for addressing grievances relating to rights violation. According to the MHCA, the present composition of the MHRB comprises six members of diverse backgrounds including law, psychiatry, civil society. This draughtsman is intended to provide a diverse outlook of mental health issues.
Implementation Challenges
Even though the MHRB has been designed with good intentions, it has the following problems. It remains true that one of the major problems here is that it is a large-scale and multi-component concept. Unfortunately a six member board is not possible at all because resources are scarce especially in countries like India. This means that to constitute district boards of psychiatric social workers, let alone to have proper functional structures for such boards in each district, the mental health infrastructure of the country is severely under-resourced, less so with 0.3 psychiatrists per 100,000 people in the country.
Further, there is confusion concerning the required number to make decisions hence a problem for the board. The broad area of responsibilities also makes it easy for the ministry to lack targeted goals in addressing some of the areas of concern and this creates a lot of stress due to the shortage of resources.
A More Pragmatic Approach
Some commentators have opined that a smaller board may be better, perhaps comprising three to five members. This could be one psychiatrist, one legal personnel, or someone who has personal experience of mental illness, the PwMI or the caregiver. A smaller board could help reduce decision-making and its implementation within the scarce existing mental health care resources in India.
In addition, the funding for mental health or the MHRB particularly needs an identified budget to facilitate its services. However, to eliminate barriers board’s operations will need to be evaluated periodically thus improvements can be made in time.
The Bottom Line
The MHRB is a tool to transform the Indian mental health landscape; The MHRB will only succeed if there are pragmatic changes to organisational structure and resource allocation. Reducing the complexity of the board and providing enough resources is part of the key measures toward a more efficient board. By making these changes, India can better protect the rights of PwMI and improve the overall mental healthcare landscape.
People passionate about mental health are invited to contribute to the Health Review Board - Write Us Health section. Your insights could help shape the future of mental healthcare in India.
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